Caravanserais

Caravanserais

The building to serve as the INN providing accommodation for merchant , pilgrim , postal and official travelers . it is a rectangular ancient building along the major roads that acts as roadside inns and brought comfort to travelers and their live stocks.

The term caravansarai is a combination of carvan means traveler and sara which stands for house is a rectangular structures of ten had massive portals with elevated surrounding walls.

The rooms were constructed around the courtyard and stable were located behind them with their doors in the corners of yard .

The first caravanserais were built in Achaemenid era (circa 550-330 BC) but when the road system extended in the reign of shah abbas many caravanserais built seems to have built along the new roads.

At the time being many caravansaries have largely lost their old usage and popularity and mostly considered as their historical and architectural aspects rather than any other purposes .